17 local artists to sell works Saturday at The Center of Craig

Local artist Sue Jones will be wading into the world of commerce for the first time this weekend.

"I give most of it away," Jones said of her handcrafted beadwork. "This is going to be an experiment."

The experiment, which organizers have dubbed the Yampa Valley Artisans Holiday Market, will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at The Center of Craig, 601 Yampa Ave. The event will combine 17 local artists under one roof to sell pottery, jewelry, photography, handcrafts and more.

Jean Jones, one of three organizers, said Craig needs a venue for local talent.

"Right now, there's no place in Craig where artists can take their stuff and sell it," she said.

Jean, a potter, said the idea for the event came to her during the holidays last year.

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"Last year, I had a pottery show by myself but it was a lot of work," she said.

So, Jean teamed up with local potters Susan Erikson and Roberta Hawks to combine their efforts into one show.

Hawks said the interest among local artists was surprising.

"It really came together quickly and easily," Hawks said. "Between the three of us, we began making phone calls, and pretty soon we had people calling us.

"It just snowballed."

Hawks said the group is loosely organized.

"There's no structure involved, we were just looking for people interested in selling their goods," she said.

The event will feature free refreshments — namely cookies made by the artists — and door prizes.

Jean said the organizers are asking each artist to offer one of their handcrafted items as a door prize.

"I'm not sure what all will be available," Jean said of the door prizes. "But, I know for sure there will be a few pottery pieces."

Sue said she's optimistic the show will be successful.

"I think that our community is very good at supporting our local artisans," she said. "Everybody should come and give us a chance."